LGBT News: Religious Leaders Pressure Obama to Add Exemption From LGBT Discrimination Ban
Just a day after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of religious liberty in the Hobby Lobby case, a group of religious leaders delivered a letter to President Obama asking that he exempt them from a pending executive order that would ban federal contractors from discriminating against gays and lesbians.
Last month, the Obama administration announced that the president would issue an executive order forbidding government contractors that receive federal funding from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender.
However, before Obama issues the order, religious leaders are requesting that he add a provision for groups whose religious beliefs oppose homosexuality, reports the New York Times. In essence, this would allow them to consider sexual orientation when making decisions about hiring and firing.
The letter was sent on July 1 by many of Obama biggest supporters in the religious community, including the president of Erie County, the executive and the national faith vote director for Obama for America 2012, Michael Wear, the former director of the Obama's faith outreach campaign in 2012, and mega Pastor Rick Warren, who delivered the invocation at Obama's 2008 inauguration.
"Without a robust religious exemption, this expansion of hiring rights will come at an unreasonable cost to the common good, national unity and religious freedom," read the letter according to TPM.
"Our concern about an executive order without a religious exemption is about more than the direct financial impact on religious organizations. While the nation has undergone incredible social and legal change over the last decade, we still live in a nation with different beliefs about sexuality," the letter continues. "We must find a way to respect diversity of opinion on this issue in a way that respects the dignity of all parties to the best of our ability. There is no perfect solution that will make all parties completely happy."
The mounting pressure from faith organizations will cause Obama to make a decision that will either preserve freedom of expression among religious groups or show support for the rights of the LGBT community.
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